The selection of a West Clermont school board member is now in the hands of a judge.

The West Clermont Board of Education remained deadlocked Monday in choosing a candidate to fill the seat of Mark Merchant, who died May 14.

The decision will now be made by Clermont County Probate Judge James Shriver.

Referring to the stalemate, board member Jim Lewis said there was "no point in going forward."

However, board member Tammy Brinkman said all of the candidates should be considered, and a vote was taken for each during the June 9 meeting.

"(Judge Shriver) is expecting us to work together," she said.

While board President Tina Sanborn and Jim Lewis voted in support of candidates Jeff Kohls and Jim Link, Brinkman and Steve Waldmann voted in favor of the other candidates.

Affiliation with the Clermont Tea Party may have been a factor in the deadlock. Both Lewis and Sanborn are associated with the Clermont Tea Party, while a newsletter for the organization indicated Kohls was a member and also a co-chair of its school committee.

During the May 27 meeting, Brinkman and Waldmann had put forth Jim Rudy, a former teacher in the district, as a choice to fill the seat.

The other candidates for the seat were Kevin Baldasare, Donald Barrett, William Hanneken, William Knueven, Dave Schaeff, Denise Smith and Chuck Thacker.

Sanborn said she wished other candidates from outside the district had been considered to fill the open seat. However, she said time constraints were a factor.

Brinkman said she had received a personal call from Lewis asking her to vote for Kohls.

Lewis accused Brinkman of grandstanding. "I didn't want to go through this charade," he said about the discussion of the other candidates during the meeting. "You have succeeded in grandstanding."

The selection of a board member will now be conducted by Shriver. A decision will likely not be made until Aug. 1.

Teacher and Amelia resident Mary Hufford expressed frustration a decision was not reached.

"We expected the board to work together," she said. "It's sad there is such an ideological divide.